Chapter 1452: A New Phase (17)

[Operating System Activated.]

Hummm—

As lights flickered on in the spacious laboratory, all sorts of mechanical devices stationed around powered up.

With a soft resonant hum, screens unfolded across the lab walls, and holograms materialized.

Graphs composed of complex figures and units. Spellcraft simulations running in real-time.

[Commencing mana concentration adjustment. Stabilizing atmospheric pressure. Temperature control complete.]

“Good.”

Standing in the middle of the lab, Lennok stretched his arms wide.

“My first time back in a while. Shall we get started right away?”

A mechanical arm on one side of the lab mixed elixirs from test tubes, combining them in precise ratios.

Beyond the glass wall on the opposite side, strength tests for a barrier created by modifying Common Magic were underway.

Smoke from a prototype for a new custom herbal tobacco was vented through a fan, while a measuring device accurately analyzed its components.

The lab’s automated system, which continuously collected samples and secured data through experiments even while Lennok was away.

As he walked past a bookshelf filled with grimoires and a display case exhibiting artifacts under research, Davi examined the system log.

[The last records are on the production of magic bullets using Mass Manipulation Spellcraft and research on the Singularity Reactor’s suppression reaction. Both showed actual results, right?]

“I remember. I saw the potential of Mass Manipulation Spellcraft thanks to the Director’s advice, but I couldn’t really use it properly in Paradise Lost.”

Fwip!

Lennok summoned the Black Edict staff, gripping it as he muttered.

“I’ve acquired new equipment, but I’m not sure if it’ll be of any help.”

[If it’s an item containing the power of an Outer God, it’s definitely worth studying properly.]

Davi said, wagging his tail.

[However, if you’re going to keep that branch out, I think you should move. The lab’s ventilation system is already screaming.]

Wheee, wheee—

Just as he said, the moment the staff was brought out, red warning messages appeared and glowed in various places.

The atmospheric components and mana concentration around the staff, which held the power of the Extinction Tree, were being altered, causing abnormal phenomena.

“Don’t worry. I have a suitable storage place for it.”

Clank!!

At Lennok’s gesture, a barrier wall on one side of the lab opened, revealing a hidden space.

An empty case resembling a glass tank. When he placed the Black Edict staff inside, it floated in mid-air and stopped.

[Aha, so you plan to store the staff in the place where you kept the fragment of Ultimate Lightning?]

“I’d like you to analyze it to the extent that it doesn’t overload the lab’s measuring devices. Even without Lapis’s advice, I feel I need to investigate this staff.”

The Black Edict staff was an object containing the power of the Extinction Tree Outer God, but its material was a seedling of the World Tree.

According to the advice Lapis had given Lennok, a fragment of the World Tree was needed to confirm Pyeonram’s life or death.

It was hard to ignore, as the process might be related to how one reaches Level 9 or to Targeted Resistance.

He didn’t intend to drop everything else to focus on it, but he needed to take at least some minimal measures.

Even if not just because of what Lapis said, this staff was the first genuine cellular tissue of the World Tree that Lennok had ever obtained.

Although it was contaminated by the Outer God’s power, if he could gain something by researching the World Tree’s components, it would help extend his remaining time.

Davi, having seemingly reached a similar conclusion, immediately drew power from the lab and began analyzing the staff.

“Let’s set aside other matters and contemplate the most important issue first.”

Watching the components of the World Tree appear one by one on the screen, Lennok turned away.

“I intend to attain transcendence and become an Ascendant under the identity of Victor. What do I need most?”

Lennok’s multiple identities were not merely a device to hide his talents or deceive others about his status.

Though it had started as a way to protect himself, it had now become tantamount to Lennok’s answer and his very identity.

Wasn’t it because each identity symbolized a possibility he possessed, like an emblem of the path he had sought, that he had maintained them until now?

Although Lennok had grown significantly, blurring the differences between his identities, their core natures and characteristics had not changed.

Victor, the Black Art. A member of Pandemonium and a Level 8 Manipulation Spellcaster.

It was the third identity Lennok had created, after Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon, and it represented the most heterogeneous of his possibilities.

The ghost ship obtained in Yorta. The Forbidden Armament, the Glass-Colored Gauntlet. The Trait-type summon, the Tailor of the Imaginary Dimension.

The powers and abilities gained under the identity of Victor were in many ways distinct from those of his other identities.

However, if one were to pinpoint what Lennok considered the origin and essence of Victor, it would undoubtedly be—

[Manipulation Spellcraft itself.]

“Yes. My past self knew that well.”

The Ascendant praised in the old Empire was a Transcendent known as the greatest Manipulation Spellcaster in the continent’s history.

Therefore, the identity of Victor, a wielder of Manipulation Spellcraft, was, in a sense, the closest to the Lennok of the past.

It was no coincidence that he had been able to peer into Ban-gung’s memories in Kabahim and learn about his past self.

Unless he used the ring to call forth past memories as before, Victor was the one closest to Ban-gung.

What must he do to attain a transcendence befitting a different possibility, using the identity most similar to his past self?

“I must find a different answer for Manipulation Spellcraft than my past self did. I need to find a different method, not the one my past self failed with.”

According to what he learned in Yeongheo Palace, Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft was a power created by mixing the distortion of black magic with Manipulation Spellcraft.

It was still one of the most powerful spellcrafts Lennok could use, but ultimately, it was a possibility that had already failed once.

Since Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft originated from Ban-gung’s Root Mindscape, Lennok would have to find another way to reach transcendence as Victor.

Ironically, Lennok already knew the answer.

“Domain: Unmarked Succession Knot.”

Lennok muttered, pulling a mana thread from his fingertip.

“I know the answer. I already confirmed that possibility in Kabahim.”

The ability of Unmarked Succession Knot, the Domain used by his Victor identity, was the 「reconstruction」 of all things.

Unlike Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft, which cast everything into a ruined future, this was another possibility for Manipulation Spellcraft that Lennok himself had discovered.

It wasn’t a Domain specialized in destruction, but it was a power so formidable it ranked among the top of the branching points in Lennok’s Kaleidoscope.

Lennok planned to start from the ability of this Unmarked Succession Knot to find a direction for attaining transcendence.

“Davi. Collect data and historical records on famous Manipulation Spellcasters throughout history.”

Lennok said, turning on the computer on the workbench and tapping the keyboard.

“Since it’s a spellcraft with a long history, there must have been other Manipulation Spellcasters who reached sublime levels besides me. They wouldn’t have all reached the same conclusion as I did.”

[Oh, are you planning to refer to the precedents of other lifeforms this time?]

“Unlike the spellcraft or magic I’ve learned so far, the situation with Manipulation Spellcraft is different in many ways.”

Manipulation Spellcraft is an extremely high-level spellcraft, reputed to be uniquely difficult even among Trait-type Spellcraft.

The very concept of manipulating something has vast versatility, so there are also extremely ambiguous and difficult aspects to it.

The method of handling it differs drastically for each specific object, spellcraft, phenomenon, and concept, making it a spellcraft that relies extremely heavily on the caster’s talent.

Even Lennok had rarely encountered another Manipulation Spellcaster, so there was no need to mention how rare they were.

But conversely, the rarer they were, the more widely known high-level Manipulation Spellcasters would inevitably become.

[Ah, you’re right, Master. I ran a search, and it seems there were some well-known Manipulation Spellcasters.]

Davi, who was connected to the Cybernetic Space, nodded while flicking his tail back and forth.

[Most of them became famous in academia or on the battlefield, and there are also cases of eccentric and sensitive people who became known for their strange deeds.]

“Pull up a list and organize it right away. How long will it take?”

[I can do it within three minutes. I’ll upload them as soon as the summaries are finished.]

As Davi spoke, various lists and images began to be uploaded onto the white monitor in an instant.

Standing in front of the monitor, Davi immediately read the organized list.

[Ascendant Ban-gung (叛穹). The greatest Manipulation Spellcaster in history.]

“……I think I already know that name. Do we really have to start there?”

[Of course! It’s the most important part of the data I just organized.]

Davi refused firmly and immediately began explaining the summarized phrases.

=Official activity records predate the Unification War. Fought against Ascendants of his era before and after belonging to the Imperial Palace; official record is undefeated.

=The Manipulation Spellcaster who killed the most Ascendants in history. Two allied forces were formed to subjugate him, but both failed.

=His whereabouts are unknown after permanently altering the climate of the Northern Continent through ‘manipulation’.

“……”

Each and every one of his deeds was utterly chilling, and also relatively accurate.

If I had to find a flaw, it would be the omission of the fact that ‘he’ killed an Outer God on the Northern Continent.

Come to think of it, it would have been strange if his name hadn’t come up while searching for records of Manipulation Spellcasters.

“Let’s move on. Tell me about the other Manipulation Spellcasters.”

[Ulaich of the Flowing Style (流式). The oldest Manipulation Spellcaster.]

Davi brought up a scanned image of an old tome at the top of the screen and began his explanation.

=The oldest ancient Manipulation Spellcaster with official records remaining.

=Born in ancient times, famous for having lived an unimaginably long time.

=Last observed one thousand years ago. Based on records from ancient texts remaining from the Waning Moon War.

=Presumed to be a being who extended their physical lifespan to an extreme degree by manipulating their own life expectancy.

“Manipulation of lifespan… Now this is an interesting case.”

Lennok asked, looking at the scanned tome.

“To directly manipulate an abstract concept like lifespan, one would have to have an extremely deep understanding of the human body… I wonder if they killed that many people to learn it?”

[Actually, the Manipulation Spellcaster listed right below seems closer to that.]

Davi replied, looking at the name below.

[Narvik of the Red Boundary (赤界). The Strangler of the Other Shore.]

=A top-tier Manipulation Spellcaster active in the Sadistic Star Cluster (加虐星團).

=One of the deadliest murderers on the Central Front.

=Famous for hanging men, women, and children alike, then dragging their bodies around.

=Known for leaving a symbolic red boundary line where their spellcraft was used.

“The Sadistic Star Cluster… I remember hearing about it from Aileen before.”

Lennok was lost in thought.

“She said it was a particularly vicious group among the conquest-oriented organizations of the Central Front. I remember a few names, including the Mercenaries.”

Black Knight, Kresnik, the Mercenaries, the Sadistic Star Cluster.

Aileen had mentioned these names in passing on the way to the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, but Lennok still remembered the list.

This was because the skill of Arthur Mason, a member of the Mercenaries, had been extraordinary, and the incident related to him had escalated quite significantly.

In the future, he would have to face not only the major powers of the Central Front but also conquest-oriented organizations like that, so he needed to keep them in mind.

The name right below on the list was also very familiar to Lennok.

[Victor, the Black Art (黑藝). Pandemonium Manipulation Spellcaster.]

“……Didn’t I say we should skip the names I know?”

[I-I only included necessary information! It was a necessary investigation for a comparative evaluation.]

Perhaps because the Power Ranking updates had been suspended, Davi seemed to have done some diligent research in strange areas.

=A blacklisted wanted man within Pandemonium whose origin and identity are completely unknown.

=Always wears a glass-colored gauntlet of unknown material. Presumed to be a Mythical-class treasure.

=Arrogant and cruel personality. A traditionalist extremely skilled in manipulating mana threads.

=Strongly suspected to be a direct descendant of the Ascendant Ban-gung.

[Looking into it in detail, it seems the Subjugation Operation had a big impact on your evaluation, Master.]

Davi said, sneaking a glance at Lennok.

[If a unified ranking comes out, I think parts like this will be strongly reflected in the evaluation….]

“So, you were curious and looked it up in advance?”

[Hehe.]

Speechless, Lennok hugged Davi and then grabbed the mouse.

The whole reason he had looked up the data was to see what level other high-level Manipulation Spellcasters had reached.

As expected of data researched by Davi, the concisely organized summary contained quite a lot of interesting information.

[Ak-yo (握搖). Level 9 Manipulation Spellcaster.]

=An ancient Ascendant who died 700 years ago.

=A monstrous god who ruled by manipulating the vibrations of all things.

=Records exist of them dropping the moon during the Waning Moon War.

…

[Fourth Apostle of the Guido Cult.]

=Was a top-tier Manipulation Spellcaster belonging to the Orchestra, but joined the Cult after death.

=Became a topic of discussion during the Crusade for possessing both Manipulation Spellcraft and Apostle Spellcraft.

…

[Masquerade. The Origin of Puppetry.]

=A puppeteer who possessed over 3,000 egos.

…

[Vista. The Star Performer.]

=Member of the Orchestra. Possessor of melody.

=One of the very few casters who could ‘play’ musical scores.

=Missing since the Vulcan Civil War.

“It includes not only Ascendants and Apostles, but also active individuals in the Central Front… The range is more diverse than I thought.”

Lennok fell into thought, faced with more unsettling information than he had expected.

He had expected there would be many extraordinary individuals due to the nature of Manipulation Spellcraft, but there was a particularly large amount of information that bothered him.

“This name, 「Orchestra,」 particularly stands out. If the Cult’s Fourth Apostle and this Vista person were members of the Orchestra, was it a group of Manipulation Spellcasters?”

[I didn’t just research existing Manipulation Spellcasters; I gathered a list of famous ones throughout history, so there are bound to be some commonalities.]

Davi answered.

[I brought data from hundreds of years ago, so it has a slightly different feel from the Power Ranking, right? I tried my best to make it similar, though.]

“No, this is more than enough. In fact, the concise explanations are good.”

With a serious expression, Lennok scanned the list up and down, lost in thought.

“I was thinking as I looked at this, it seems there are some high-level Manipulation Spellcasters who don’t fixate on mana threads. Do they find a medium that suits them better as they reach higher levels?”

[Huh?]

Only then did Davi also realize what Lennok was getting at, and his eyes widened.

[If you find a medium that suits you better than mana threads, you might achieve a breakthrough?]

“I can’t be certain about that… but in a way, the research ‘he’ conducted with the Black Edict clan might have been similar.”

Then, Lennok realized something and nodded.

“It wasn’t that he abandoned Manipulation Spellcraft to gain Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft, but rather that it was also a process of creating a suitable medium for himself.”

Ban-gung used the distortion of black magic to create Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft, which only he could use.

The black lines (黑線) carved into the air whenever he used the spellcraft were the very medium and symbol for him.

If so, shouldn’t Lennok also look for a means other than mana threads to attain transcendence as Victor?

He had taken a bit of a detour while chatting with Davi, but he had gained more than he expected.

The enlightenment gained from today’s research might just become the essential key to completing the transcendence of his Manipulation Spellcraft in the future.

However, if there was still one thing that bothered him—

it was that the name of one of the Three Grand Dukes, which he had heard after the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors incident, was on this list.

[The Grand Duke of Grasping (捕握大公). One of the Imperial Three Grand Dukes under the Imperial Palace.]

=The worst Manipulation Spellcaster in the history of the central city, Ars Nova.

=A forbidden spell user who used human hands as a medium for his spellcraft.

=One of the followers who revered the Ascendant Ban-gung like a god.

“……”

He still remembered the day he had previewed the Second Gate with the Reconnaissance Agency.

A hellscape of tens of thousands of naked corpses piled up like mountains, too horrific to describe.

At its center, two giant hands were planted, blooming wide open like grotesque flowers in an eerie display.

He already knew that the Grand Duke of Grasping was the one among the Three Grand Dukes who had mastered Manipulation Spellcraft.

Perhaps, what Lennok needed to do to attain transcendence was not something far away, but—

Beep beep beep—

The sound of an alert broke through his long train of thought, and Lennok’s gaze shot up.

[Ah, it seems something was discovered during the component analysis of the staff you left with me, Master.]

Davi immediately checked the lab’s system log and said.

[I set it to report immediately if anything unusual was found. Would you like to check?]

“Let’s go right away.”

It had been less than two hours since he’d left the staff for analysis. Had there been a significant discovery?

Cutting off his thoughts, Lennok immediately headed with Davi toward the lab where the staff was being stored.

He passed through a wide corridor, opened the closed barrier wall, and went towards the glass tank where the staff was stored.

On the screen floating in front of the tank, all sorts of various symbols and chemical formulas were displayed.

[Perhaps because it’s made from a World Tree seedling, the analysis values are unprecedented….]

Davi, having interpreted the analyzed contents in an instant, let out a small gasp of admiration.

[Inorganic and organic matter are intricately mixed inside the staff. They are constantly converting back and forth, with both ratios coexisting….]

“Sorry, but I don’t know much about that field. Could you explain it in simpler terms?”

[In a way, you could say this staff is still alive.]

Davi said, tapping the analysis chart and chemical formulas on the screen with his front paw.

[It’s slowly dying due to some power, but the components making up the staff are converting the dead parts into organic matter and continuously reviving them.]

“……”

[It’s essentially forcing dead cells back to life and converting them into organic matter… I’ve never seen a relic or artifact with such strong life force.]

“Dying because of some power… It must be because of the Extinction Tree’s power contained within the staff.”

Lennok nodded as he listened to Davi.

“If the power of the Extinction Tree and the life force of the World Tree are balanced inside the staff, that must be why a World Tree seedling was used as the material.”

A normal relic or artifact would have turned to a handful of dust and perished the moment it contained the power of the Extinction Tree Outer God.

But the Black Edict staff, while dying from holding the Extinction Tree’s power, is constantly reviving itself and maintaining its form.

This is only possible because it was made from a World Tree seedling, which can convert even dead cells and inorganic matter into organic matter.

“Davi, organize the analyzed components and display them. I need to check if there are any components I can obtain or synthesize myself.”

[Are you going to try synthesizing the cellular components of the World Tree yourself?]

“In a sense, the World Tree is a being that has reached the apex of life-based systems.”

Lennok’s gaze, fixed on the screen, deepened.

“Depending on the interpretation, it could be considered a Level 9 plant-type Transcendent… or even something greater. The staff is contaminated by the Extinction Tree, so it can’t be used on humans, but securing an intact sample would be a huge help.”

Lennok had two main goals in analyzing the staff.

One was to find a way to confirm Pyeonram’s life or death, as per Lapis’s advice.

The other was to analyze the components of the World Tree seedling and acquire its power for himself.

In a way, the latter could be said to be the more directly important goal for Lennok.

The World Tree is the tree of origin that grows from the Navel of the Star. It is a being that puts down roots in mountain ranges, drinks lava, and grows infinitely.

While it’s impossible to clearly define its hierarchy, it is definitely Level 9 or higher. It might even be considered a more sublime Transcendent than that.

For Lennok, who was about to seriously aim for Level 9 and become an Ascendant, it had a high chance of serving as a clear sample or comparison group.

If he could obtain the transcendent life force of the World Tree, he could solve the penalty that had constrained him for so long all at once.

The life-based spellcraft and relics he had been searching for ever since he started working as a freelancer. This was the power that stood at their apex.

If he could just obtain an intact component or sample of the World Tree, it would be a meaningful answer for both Lennok’s growth and the extension of his life.

[I’ll organize the analyzed component chart and chemical formulas and run a search on the central network right away.]

Davi also understood Lennok’s words and nodded.

[However, the analyzed cellular components are so rare that the chance of getting immediate results seems low. I’ll run periodic searches and let you know immediately if there’s any news… Huh?]

Davi, who had connected to the network and given a command to ChatterFox, tilted his head for a moment.

“What is it?”

[There’s a record that one of the core components of the World Tree seedling was observed by the weather service in the Outer Zone a few months ago.]

Davi said with a bewildered expression.

[It seems an intact sample of the World Tree you’re looking for… might be left in a nearby satellite city?]

“……What?”

For a moment, Lennok, hearing the unexpected words, stopped the hand that was moving the mouse.

An intact cellular component of the World Tree had been observed near a satellite city of Vulcan.

As Lennok recalled the words Lapis had told him, Davi spoke excitedly.

[With this, you might not have to go through the trouble of synthesizing the World Tree’s cellular components yourself.]

“You’re already looking forward to an easy win.”

Lennok gave a wry smile and sank into thought.

Lapis’s advice that a way to confirm Pyeonram’s life or death might be near Vulcan.

Was it truly a coincidence that he had discovered its location at this exact moment while investigating the World Tree’s components?

“I don’t think I need to mull it over for long.”

Lennok grabbed his coat and immediately stood up.

“It won’t be too late to think about it after I have it in my hands.”